On February 2nd, in the Italian Superlegga match, Cisterna's Yume Tarumi made her first start of the season. Cisterna won the match against Modena 3-2 (25-22, 13-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-12). Tarumi was also selected as the MVP of the match.
In the first set, Modena made many mistakes, while Cisterna scored points with spikes from OH Tarumi and OP Fall, and Cisterna took the set. In the second set, Modena's serves, including a total of seven aces in this set alone, were onslaught, and the game became one-sided, but in the third set, Cisterna took it back with spikes from OH Ramon and blocks from MB Nedeljkovic.
In the fourth set, Cisterna was in the lead until the end thanks to the efforts of OH Ramon, OH Tarumi, MB Mazzone and others, but then Cisterna made a series of mistakes and Modena took the lead, losing the set in a comeback.
Modena's momentum continued in the early part of the fifth set, taking the lead with spikes and service aces from OH Daviskiba. However, Cisterna took the lead in the final stages with spikes from OH Ramon and blocks from OH Tarumi, and finally OH Ramon converted a direct return ball from OH Tarumi's serve into a point with a spike to decide the match.
Detailed stats↓
https://www.legavolley.it/match/38309
Tarumi was selected as a starter for the first time in recognition of his performance in the previous game.
Tarumi was third on the team with 13 points (1 serve, 3 blocks), and an attack efficiency rate of 411 TP3T. Although he struggled with serve reception, losing 5 points, he contributed to the victory with his spikes, blocks, and serves. In an English interview after the match, he commented, "My spikes and blocks were good, but my serves and receptions were not good" (I could tell he was working hard on his English).
He was also selected as the MVP of the game, but to be honest, I think the MVP for this game should have been OH Ramon, who had the most points with 19, or MB Nedeljkovic, who had 12 points and 4 blocks. This may have been due to the fact that he was not officially named MVP in the previous game, and that a Japanese company was sponsoring the game that day.
Even so, it is truly wonderful that a player who had few opportunities to play in Japan was able to play in the starting lineup in the world's top Italian Superlegga and perform so well. It seems that Tarumi is proving in Italy that Japanese outside hitters are amazing even if they are not playing for the Japanese national team.
Currently in 7th place in the league, Cisterna can advance to the playoffs if they can stay in 8th place or higher. However, they still can't let their guard down. I hope that Tarumi will become a regular in the starting lineup and win as many games as possible in the remaining 5 games of the regular season.
Personally, I am looking forward to the Rakunan showdown between Milan Otsuka and the team that will likely finally take place this time.
Photo: cisternavolley.it
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